Carmelo Anthony may miss the New York Knicks game against the New Orleans Hornets Friday night (Feb. 17). Anthony has already missed the last six games for the Knicks after suffering a strained groin, and his team has not lost a single game since then. The emergence of Jeremy Lin has brought in more fans than any of the other Knicks ever could and suddenly there is a question about who the real leader of this team is.

Anthony is listed as doubtful for the Knicks vs. Hornets game, just about guaranteeing that he won’t see any action. Obviously, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni could change his mind and allow Anthony to play, but as the team starts making waves and has entered the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, now is not the time to risk it. This injury is from a Feb. 6 game against the Utah Jazz that put down Anthony in the first quarter. Lin has seen significant minutes ever since and has led the team to a nice seven-game winning streak.

There are questions about how Lin and Anthony will mesh on the floor, but the pair should do just fine when everyone on the roster is finally healthy. The addition of J.R. Smith certainly doesn’t hurt matters either because it just gives the team another weapon to spread the floor on offense. Anthony should not take the court until he is 100 percent ready to go, especially with the glare of the national spotlight fixed on this team. If he doesn’t return on Friday (Feb. 17), the next game for the Knicks is on Sunday (Feb. 19) against the Dallas Mavericks.

Do you think that Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin will work well together? Do you think that the Knicks can become a team that threatens to win the Eastern Conference with this current combination of players?